Team
Educators
Rachel McIntire, Ed.M.
Arts Education Specialist
rachel@muralmusicarts.org
Rachel McIntire is a multimedia artist originally from Northern California who has been engaged in the study of art, culture and education for over ten years. Before pursuing her Master's Degree in Art Education from Harvard's School of Education, Rachel played a fundamental role in developing a cadre of art-based programs serving youth throughout the Bay Area, including the Mural Music & Art Project (“MMAP”), the art program at the Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula, The International Art Alliance, and the International Mural Campesino, which was created to promote the use of visual representation as an agent for social change and youth leadership in the rural towns of eastern Honduras. Rachel’s interest in using art as a tool for cultural understanding and positive social change has inspired her commitment to the Mural Music & Arts Project since its inception in 2001. Rachel oversees the art education curriculum.
Jeffrey Camarillo, M.A.
Teen Mural Program Director
jeffrey@muralmusicarts.org
Jeffrey Camarillo, is a lyricist, appearing on several Hip Hop releases, he performs his original songs to benefit the non-profits and schools where he works. Jeffrey, or “Mr. C” as his students call him, was born and raised in Menlo Park, CA. As the eldest son of a Stanford University history professor (Albert Camarillo) and middle school counselor (Susan Camarillo), education and public service were emphasized throughout his youth. Jeffrey attended public schools his entire educational career, and graduated from Menlo-Atherton High School in 1997, where he was Student Body President and Co-Captain of the varsity basketball team. He then attended the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where he majored in Urban Studies with a concentration in Urban Education. In Philadelphia, Jeff discovered his passion for teaching and working with youth, as he founded and directed an after-school reading and writing program in Southwest Philly. Upon graduating with honors from the University of Pennsylvania in 2001, Jeffrey returned to California to teach 8th grade U.S. History in Compton, CA, his father’s hometown. During his three years in Compton, Jeffrey taught over 600 young people and coached basketball, football, baseball and track and field. In 2004, Jeffrey returned to the Bay Area to pursue his master’s degree, complete his teaching credentials at Stanford University’s School of Education, and begin working with the Mural Music & Arts Project (“MMAP”) to help instructors increase their effectiveness reaching traditionally underserved, low performing youth in an academic environment. Jeffrey currently teaches in Compton, and provides MMAP staff with leadership, and professional development opportunities throughout the school year, and Directs MMAP’s summer staff and programs.
Sarah Woodward
HEArt Coordinator
sarah@muralmusicarts.org
Sarah Woodward is a painter and will be the coordinator for the Health Education Through Art Program (HEArt). She graduated from Stanford University in March 2009 with a major in Psychology and minor in Studio Art. Born and raised in New Orleans, her passion for the arts is rooted in the spirit of her hometown. In high school, she attended the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts with coursework in drawing, painting, computer graphics, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics and photography. In 2007, Sarah created a large public art installation on Stanford's campus dedicated to raising awareness about Hurricane Katrina. She later worked with an art therapist in New Orleans to help kids affected by the storm cope with their struggles. At Stanford, she worked with the Student Organizing Committee for the Arts to establish gallery spaces promoting artistic expression and the role of artists in beautifying spaces. With MMAP, Sarah coordinated a mural-making event to connect Stanford students to the East Palo Alto community. Sarah is pursuing a career in art education and art therapy with MMAP and is interested in the realm of public art as a tool for social change. Sarah was the valedictorian of her academic high school and a member of the Stanford chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Her interests in art, education and psychology led to her involvement with MMAP.
Operations
Sonya Clark-Herrera, M.A.
Executive Director
sonya@muralmusicarts.org
Sonya Clark-Herrera is a painter, the co-founder and current leader of the Mural Music and Arts Project (“MMAP”), a non-profit youth development organization that educates, empowers and inspires youth through engagement in the arts. Mentoring and teaching in after school and community based programs, including her own, and researching in the field of youth development, Ms. Clark-Herrera has dedicated herself to the positive development of traditionally disadvantaged youth with a particular emphasis on public art as a form of cultural empowerment and catalyst for social development and political activism. Prior to founding MMAP, Ms. Clark-Herrera collaborated with her best friend, Denise Roberson, to found a successful consulting business, Jadi Art, Concept & Creation, partnering emerging artists with a variety of institutional and corporate clients in the production of tailored visual art, multimedia and sculpture installations in New York and southern California. Sonya has managed and collaborated on several public art projects in New York, Pennsylvania and California. Ms. Clark-Herrera earned her B.A. in Social Science and B.S. in Biology from the University of California, Irvine, in 1995, and her M.S. in Biomedical Anthropology from Columbia University in 1998.
Olatunde Sobomehin
Deputy Director
olatunde@muralmusicarts.org
Olatunde has a lifelong service commitment to youth and community development, teaching and social entrepreneurship. Upon entering Stanford University in 1998, Olatunde immediately realized service opportunities and worked as student liaison for the East Palo Alto Neighborhood Improvement Initiative and was furthered recognized for his program "From the Revolving Prison Door to the Evolving Digital Door," a service project that trained former juvenile prisoners web-developing skills.
As a Stanford basketball player in 2002-2003, he became the first non-recruited walk-on and was furthered voted "Most Inspirational Player." Upon graduation with a degree in Urban Studies, Olatunde founded his company, Esface, Inc, which aims to "make popular culture positive," began his career as a basketball coach, and started his work with the Mural, Music and Arts Program. As a co-director for MMAP's Teen Mural Program, he played an integral role in the successful pilot program in San Francisco, CA. Olatunde has also been integral in extending and deepening MMAP's relationship with East Palo Alto Academy High School.
Patrick Davenport
Operations Coordinator
patrick@muralmusicarts.org
Patrick Davenport is a natural born leader looking to make a positive social change in the world. Living by the motto "with great privilege comes great responsibility," Patrick strives to lift as he climbs in both personal and professional paths through mentorship and building healthy and sustainable community relationships. Currently working as the Director of Operations and Programs Coordinator, Patrick has a hand in just about everything MMAP does. A Texas native, Patrick came to MMAP from Chicago through and internship his senior year at Lincoln-College. While working with MMAP Patrick has served as the GAP Program Coordinator, TMP Teen Coordinator, ISE Program Coordinator, HEArt Program Instructor, and a MMAP Mentor. Patrick is truly blessed to be a part of a family and community that is dedicates so much of itself to the Education, Inspiration, and Empowerment of youth through the arts.
Olaremi Sobomehin
TMP Co-Director
olaremi@muralmusicarts.org
Having worked with MMAP since 2002 and realizing the effect it had on his life, over the years Remi has developed a passion for youth development. Remi is currently a graduating Senior at Stanford university, majoring in African and African American Studies. After spending 4 summers as a teen muralist in the Teen Mural Program, Remi began working in more administrative capacities within MMAP, including incorporating a new public speaking aspect into the Teen Mural Program, "Speak Up Speak Out". Remi and his older brother, Olatunde, established and developed this public speaking curriculum in 2005 and have continued to improve the curriculum ever since. Currently, he is the director of the History Thru Hip Hop program. Remi plans to use his passion for the youth and his skills in public speaking to teach in the public school system. Remi's goals extend far beyond solely academic, hoping to help students of color realize and reach their full potential.
Raspire Music
HHH Producers
Raspire Music brings a diverse musical background and broad array of talent and skills to the table. Raspire Music is an upcoming independent music company that produces, markets and distributes its own music. Raspire makes multicultural, island music that transcends to the international arena while honoring their Caribbean musical roots. We’ve created our own musical genre, Caribbean Hip Hop by infusing dance hall with Hip Hop and Reggae. Ours is a fresh island sound with a positive message and energy for everyone. Raspire Music as a company brings over a decade of musical experiences in addition to work in corporate and non-profit organizations as well as a lifelong passion for music. From recording, song writing and production, performance to the marketing and distributing of music, Raspire Music creates positive music that is representative of the new generation of music listeners who are cross-genre oriented, i.e pla lists that jump from country to hip hop.
Aria Florant
Director of Youth and Community Development
aria@muralmusicarts.org
Aria Florant has worked as the Director of Youth and Community Development at the Mural Music & Arts Project (MMAP) since June 2011. She is also an Educational Consultant for the San Mateo County Private Defender Program, where she helps incarcerated youth stay on track to graduate from college, and has been involved with the Making It Happen Promise Neighborhoods Collaborative and the Youth Arts and Music Center Initiative, both in East Palo Alto. Prior to working at MMAP, Aria worked for Foundation for a College Education and the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula. Aria’s passion for youth empowerment and community development guides her path in life, and she is dedicated to helping youth achieve their full potential and find their place in the world. Aria graduated from Stanford University with a major in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity focused on diversity in the arts and educational equity.
Kyle Tana
Programs Instructor, MMAP MarCom
kyle@muralmusicarts.org
Kyle Tana is the programs instructor for the Heath Education through Art (HEArt) program. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a B.A in Sociology and Black Studies. Inspired by Alvin Ailey, Gil Scott-Heron, Angela Davis, Billie Holiday and many others, Kyle has begun to explore and share new works of her own. Kyle gained an international perspective with her experience abroad, specifically studying the politics and history of La Movida Madrilena that sparked Madrid's graffiti art to stand out. In 2009, Kyle worked at the Coucil on Hemispheric Affairs in Washington DC where she published articles focusing on US foreign policy and Latin American politics. Returning back to Santa Barbara, Kyle worked on the immigrants' rights committee with the organization PUEBLO. Kyle's multifaceted interests in social justice, her love for art, music and dance all has led to her involvement with MMAP.
Arturo Maldonado
Development Assistant
arturo@muralmusicarts.org
Arturo graduated from Santa Clara University in June 2010, double-majoring in Political Science and Philosophy. He is currently a development assistant for the Mural Music & Arts Project. In fall 2008, Arturo worked at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC. In 2009, he spent his summer in New Jersey at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs as a Public Policy & International Affairs (PPIA) Fellow. Prior to joining MMAP as a development assistant, he interned at the City and County of San Francisco's Office of the Mayor. The development assistant position isn't Arturo's first stint at MMAP: from 2003 to 2006, he worked on five murals as a Teen Mural Assistant in the Teen Mural Program. Here, Arturo met Sonya and her team of dedicated staff who taught him the values of community, leadership, and the significance of the arts. This appreciation of the arts motivated him explore capoeira, b-boying (breakdancing), and the history of hip hop throughout his undergraduate career.
Outside of work, you could find Arturo practicing capoeira, reading tech news, or reading sci-fi/fantasy novels.
Demetric Sanders
Communications Director and HHH Curriculum Coordinator
demetric@muralmusicarts.org
Demetric Sanders, born and raised in Portland, Oregon, is the communications director for the Mural Music & Arts Project (MMAP) and the curriculum coordinator for the History through Hip Hop program (HHH). He graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in Science, Technology, and Society in 2010 and an M.A. in Learning, Design, and Technology from Stanford’s School of Education in 2011. While at Stanford, Demetric volunteered as the assistant varsity basketball coach at Eastside College Prep, worked as the co-coordinator for the 2010 History through Hip Hop program, and cofounded the Speak Up, Speak Out program at St. Francis Youth Club. His masters’ project deliverable was an HHH inspired Hip Hop game that promoted self-expression, taught literary devices, and created a community of learners (www.barup.mobi). In his free time, Demetric enjoys watching, coaching, and discussing sports.
Jose Manuel Valle II
Programs Instructor
Jose@muralmusicarts.org
Jose is a father, husband, strong Chicano male and East Side San Jose native from the W.C. Overfelt Community.
Currently, Jose Valle has embarked on an international movement combining the Lowrider car club community, Oldies/Soul music record collecting and Chicano empowerment. The “Soulero Movement”, is the living soundtrack of Lowriders, Soul music enthusiast and Chicano activists alike. The movement’s cult-like following has lead to gaining international attention and ultimately revolutionizing the way Lowrider car shows provide their entertainment.
Having written for Silicon Valley De-Bug, Street Low Magazine, being active in the community and a little radio experience; Jose has managed to gain a vibrant and innovative organization with hopes to becoming a Non-Profit serving low income, at-risk and impacted youth and families through music and the arts.
This passion and drive to utilize music and the arts as an education tool, has driven Mr. Valle to translate his experience to MMAP in empowering the young voices of East Palo Alto.
Finegan Ferreboeuf
Interns
Victoria Asbury
Jessica Salinas
Jesus Mora
Laura Nunez
Artists
Edward “Scape” Martinez, An established graffiti artist and writer, Scape was born in Newark, New Jersey to Puerto Rican immigrants, and moved to San Jose, California in the late 1970s where he currently resides. His career as a graffiti artist began in the 1980s; his work has been displayed in museum and gallery exhibits regionally, nationally, and internationally. In 2009, Scape published GRAFF: The Art and Technique of Graffiti, which has since sold over 27,000 copies worldwide. The sequel GRAFF 2: Next Level Graffiti Techniques was published in May 2011. Scape is a founding partner of the Bay Area start-up TapSmack.com and Real Smart Studios
Lauren Camarillo is a dancer who was formally trained in ballet and ultimately expanded her repertoire to include contemporary, jazz, and lyrical dance. A dance savant, Lauren began teaching in her early teens and founded a Hip Hop dance camp for children at a local homeless shelter in 2001, which remains thriving today. While studying at University of California at Los Angeles, Lauren continued to learn alternative forms of dance, including house and improvisation. Devoting her time to direct Samahang Modern, a competitive Hip Hop team, Lauren choreographed works for performances and competitions from 2007 to 2010. Lauren has performed internationally, learning Latin dance forms while touring in Chile and Argentina. She embraces salsa, Hip Hop, house, jazz, tap, contemporary, and ballet, while aspiring to create choreography that raises social consciousness. Currently, Lauren is a part of The Company, a Hip Hop team based out of Daly City, CA.
Keith Cross is a musician, writer and artist. Originally from Los Angeles, Keith studied music at University of Southern California and relocated to the Bay Area in 2010. Keith has toured Europe as a solo artist and has toured internationally with Flora Purim. Keith has published two full musical projects including “Look Both Ways” which combines Hip Hop, soul, funk and jazz. A fervent believer in the power of the word and authentic expression, Keith is a seasoned Hip Hop curriculum designer and veteran performer.
Justin Phipps is a Bay Area native who has been working with youth for over 15 years and has been a professional musician for 17. Justin has lived and worked in East Palo Alto for the last 10 years. As the Director of Art and Music at Live In Peace, Justin teaches music classes, runs student bands, gives private music instruction, and hosts community performances for youth (and adults) of East Palo Alto. His work has now brought him to two San Francisco schools to run similar programs, one in Bayview/Hunters Point and the other in Potrero Hill, both economically disadvantaged districts similar to East Palo Alto. In addition to teaching in schools, Justin directs H2O (the Hip Hop Orchestra), a live hip-hop brass band made up of East Palo Alto youth. He is running a recording studio and soon-to-be record label in EPA for the purpose of producing and promoting positive and uplifting music from the community. Outside of Live In Peace, Justin is a private music instructor in surrounding cities, the musical director of the Vintage Music Collective (a 12-piece roots-reggae band from East Palo Alto that performs throughout the Bay Area), and an afrobeat/highlife guitarist. He graduated from Stanford University in African American Studies with a focus in Ethnomusicology.